Recommend me a tea for cold/flu/cough

skilfautdire wrote:...I've never seen a ginger plant...my guess would be that the only thing used is the ginger-root?

My in-laws have some growing in their yard in central Florida. They produce beautiful fragrant flowers on long stalks. Some of them are about 5-6 feet tall. Just the root is use and it can become quite large. I was temped to hack some off to use, but as you say, you can't be sure what it has absorbed.

skilfautdire wrote:...I've never seen a ginger plant...my guess would be that the only thing used is the ginger-root?

My in-laws have some growing in their yard in central Florida. They produce beautiful fragrant flowers on long stalks. Some of them are about 5-6 feet tall. Just the root is use and it can become quite large. I was temped to hack some off to use, but as you say, you can't be sure what it has absorbed.

Ok...and in China where most ginger come from? (at least the ginger we get in Denmark) theres a lot of polution and I guess a lot of pesticides being used. But then again how do we know that organic ginger hasn't been absorbing general polution? So maybe you aren't safe in buying organic ginger from China?

skilfautdire wrote:Grated ginger: exactly. I wonder why 'ginger teas' would be bought whne one can get dirt-cheap ginger roots at many supermarkets, grate some, and infuse it. Or is it that 'ginger teas' are using other parts of the ginger plant ?

Buying them is easier, and if you're familiar with the particular brand you know what to expect. You can, however, make your own to relieve a cold and sore throat. I actually like some of the better store-bought ginger teas more than the homemade one, but the homemade one was much more effective in relieving a cold and sore throat.

A previous girlfriend used to give me some very strong ginger tea that she would make if I had a severe cold. It certainly offered a good amount of temporary relief. A missing voice would actually return for a couple of hours after drinking some of this. When the irritation would return, you only needed to put a cup of this stuff in the microwave and you're ready to go again.

She would make this by boiling a ton of fresh ginger in water and at some point she added brown sugar. If the sugar wasn't added, I think it would be too strong to consume. She would continue boiling until the liquid was somewhat thick. What was left could be saved for several days and used as needed. It worked very well, but it was more of a relief than a cure.

This works very well for me, the earlier I drink before symptoms get worse, the faster the recovery. There have been times when I drink this and next day I am back to normal.

Cut and peel a lemon and lime. Try to get as much of inner skin as possible.Put in large cup (I use 1l glass beer cup) and crush, sqeeze and break apart as much as possible, then pour in water and let sit in fridge for 12 hr or longer.Warm up small amount of water, mix in raw honey. Drink, mixing in syrup to taste. Eat left over fruit at bottom of cup. Can add diced garlic to hot water before you mix in the honey, but usually I don't. Sometimes I just skip the honey as well (depending on symptoms, no soar throat=no honey.

A friend of mine told me his cold/flu/cough treatment is ginger brandy. I tried it and it's great. It always warms me up instantly. Since it's made from grape and ginger, can it count as an herbal tea?

fresh ginger root in decoction (as dense as possible) is good for all the respiratory sphere -in ayurveda it is recommended for the median and upper sphere (hope my english terms are correct here). median is the area where digestion starts (end of throat, stomach), upper is lungs, throat, nose (all organs of breath). organic is the best choice, and not that expensive.And it really works. of course there are other plants too.

you can also mix it with curcuma root or powder: curcumine is an interesting anti-oxydant and has indicated activity of regulation of the immune system (it is the kind of thing that really is useful when consumed regularly, like many spices).

And one or two tricks with a cold : > wash the nose with physiological serum (or water boilt then cooled with a bit of salt added). the big problem with a cold is the relative infection and encumbered nose. it is way more comfy not to let it spread down to the throat and lungs. you can also choose to wash your nose regularly, just like you clean your teeth. but I guess it is up to everyone to see how far they want to carry their cleaning rituals > another little useful thing is to clean the tongue : when you have a cold, lots of microbia deposit...on your tongue. you can easily find a tongue cleaner, or use a smooth toothbrush. again you can choose to do that every time you clean your teeth (I do it ).

those 2 tricks may seem strange if you have never heard of them, but... they are really worth trying, if not as everyday hygiene, at least to help with a cold.